The Yankees won a nailbiter against the Blue Jays today, as the game got interesting in the final two frames. Anthony Volpe was the hero this afternoon in a 3-2 victory, as he hit a massive 2R blast to give the Yanks the lead before the boys walked it off in the 9th. Gerrit Cole shoved when he didn’t have his best stuff, and all the haters were suddenly silent. These gritty wins are what separate contenders from pretenders, and thanks to the elite pitching, the Yanks got the job done.
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The Yankees’ pitching stepped up:
Gerrit Cole once more did the job, even if it wasn’t the best start by his standards. He tossed 5.2 scoreless innings, struck out four batters, and gave up four hits. He continues to absolutely shove this season and has yet to allow a homer. That was what bit him the most last year, and he’s been as close to flawless as a starter could be. Undoubtedly the ace of this staff, he’s been phenomenal.
The bullpen followed him and continued to show out. Marinaccio came in for Cole in the 5th to get out of trouble and then pitched the first two outs of the 6th. His inning’s worth was once more elite for the Don, and though he didn’t get any strikeouts, he generated tons of soft contact. His season ERA is now 0.93, and he still boasts some of the best numbers in the game.
Holmes came in to replace Ron, and he looked great. Though he gave up a double to Bichette, he was able to navigate out of it and featured some filthy sinkers. In his inning of work, he struck out two batters and looked much better than he had recently. If Holmes is on, that’s a huge relief for this bullpen. After him, Wandy came in and proceeded to give up the lead in the top of the 9th.
Every pitcher is bound for a rough outing, and that was the case for Wandy today. He gave up a 2R homer to Danny Jansen, who pinch-hit in the 9th. The Blue Jays just wouldn’t go away today. After Wandy, Jimmy Cordero came in and promptly got a double play to get out of trouble. Cordero’s stuff is filthy, and he has been a nice diamond in the rough this season. He paid his dues with AAA Scranton, and now he’s getting big opportunities.
The lineup struggled until it mattered most:
The lineup was dreadful today and was a hard watch for most of the afternoon. It’s very clear that the Yanks need to switch some things up, but I don’t know what that would entail. No Stanton really spreads this lineup thin, and with DJ having the afternoon off, it was a tough go against Manoah. Manoah came in struggling mightily but then proceeded to throw seven shutout innings of two-hit ball against the Yankees.
Oswaldo Cabrera smacked a double in the gap, and Gleyber Torres finally got some luck to go his way with a bloop knock. Oswald Peraza also continues to do quite well since he’s been called up and smacked a liner as well as having worked a walk. He helps the bottom of the lineup a ton, but the Yankees still need some more juice. The bottom of the 8th was where all the action took place.
Oswald reached base on the aforementioned knock, and then Anthony Volpe had his signature Yankee moment on the season. He blasted a 2R homer the other way with two outs; it was his second of the year. The crowd and bench went ballistic, and it was a much-needed boost for this team. Volpe has been excellent in the leadoff spot, and his production has been fantastic. He’s much better there than he was batting 9th.
Rizzo smacked a leadoff double in the 9th inning and missed a walk-off HR by a matter of inches. The Rizz is OPSing .933 this year, and with no shift, he’s been absolutely fantastic. Gleyber then got another base knock and advanced the pinch-running IKF to third on some excellent baserunning. Torres swiped second, which was good for his 6th steal of the year, and Willie Calhoun wouldn’t fold under the pressure as he worked a walk to load the bases with no one out.
DJ pinch-hit for Cordero and smacked a base knock to walk it off. The Yanks went home with a victory, even in an ugly one. It was a slow game for the first seven innings, but then things heated up rapidly in the final two frames. The Yankees were able to hang tough and clutch a big victory over a division rival.
It wasn’t the best game, but every win counts. The lineup stalled until it mattered most, and that’s all that should be taken away from today. They were able to get the job done, and now they look to take yet another series tomorrow. The Yankees have lost the first game in the majority of their series this season but remain the only team to have won every one. The Volpe blast reinvigorated the crowd, and hopefully, they can carry that into tomorrow’s game.